Method of improving metals, and product thereof



I Patented OcLZO, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE S. FISHER, OFSALT'LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR To UTAH METALS FLUX PANY, OF SALT LAKECITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH METHOD OF IMPROVING METALS, ANDPRODUCT THEREOF 1\To Drawing. Application filed June 25,

'- The invention relates to methods of improving metals, andparticularly to treatments in which substances are either added for thispurpose to a fusedbath of the metal 5 or applied. tothe solid metalwhile at a substantially elevated temperature.

More particularly my invention relates, to the improving of metals bythe action of cer- I tain naturally occurring deposits which have beenfound to not only purify metals but positively to impart to the samedesirable mechanical characteristics.

I have found that there are certain deposits of shale which possess theproperty of effecting the improvements mentioned. One

such deposit is in the northern central portion of Emery County, Utah,south of the Price River and Desert Lake. This shale, which is to bedistinguished from the blue or blue-gray variety found in theneighborhood, is a highly laminated carbonaceous or. bituminous shalevarying in color from dark brown or almost black through brown tobrick-red, with frequently a yellowish tint on the surfaces of thelaminae.

The shale is susceptible of quite varied use in metallurgicaloperations, but I shall. confine the present description mainly tocertain of the uses which have been thoroughly tried out and theproducts of which have proved thoroughly satisfactory.

' If from 1 to 10 percent by weight of this shale is cooked with scrapiron, even poor grades of cast iron, there results from the melt aproduct which is clean, solid, and malleable and the tensile strength ofthe same is enormously increased. Castings made directly from the bathare clean, more free from fins than ordinary castings, and readilyworkable, and may be machined at much higher speed than customarily canbe employed in working cast iron. Castings may be made much lighter thanheretofore on account of the strength of the product and its highlydense and fibrous nature.

Cast iron treated according to my method may be welded without the useof a flux, and in this manner distinguishes greatly from ordinary formsof cast iron. Using sticks 1924. Serial No. 722,409.

or the like made of the treated iron as welding rods enables cast ironpieces to be welded together without the use of other fluxing media. Ineither case the welds are not hardened and are as machinable as theoriginal pieces. On many tests, the weld prove stronger than theoriginal pieces.

I find in general that an addition of from 1 to about 6 percent of theshale to the molten bath softens and toughens the product, while higherproportions of the shale have a hardening effect. 3

' A somewhat similar effect is produced in the treatment of copper,except that in the case of copper-treatment from 1 to 5 .percent of theshale has been found to be sufficient. Castings made from copper thustreated are remarkably clean, free from blow-holes, pittings and thelike and are considerably hardened. They are easily worked. Coppertreatedas described is very much more dense than ordinary cast copper,and can be cast entirely solid without the usual addition of tin orother alloys. The copper castings are noticeably high in electricalconductivity.

It has been found that the addition of percentages of the shale tomolten baths of alloys makes it possible to produce permanent alloys ofmuch improved character and makes possible the production of alloys ofmetals which it has been impossible or exceedinglydifiicult heretoforeto alloy. For example,

a mixture of approximately 60 percent copper and 40 percent lead ifmolten and treated 35 with from 5 to 15 percent of the shale,,produces apermanent alloy which is quite suitable for bearings and bushings. Oneof such bearings was tested without lubricant .under a load of} severalhundred pounds to the square inch, at 350 R. P. M. WVhen the shaftingsmoked and cold water was applied,

the bearing did not freeze to the shaft and tions.

the following values were obtained at intervals of fifteen minutes, asindicated.

' Coefii- Tem R. P Load Load cient pera- M on 9? of ture of ournalsq..1n. ournal friction journal Pounds F. 15 minutes 208 2, 500 357 18.9 .0076 138 15 minutes 209 3, 000 429 18. 25 0061 145 15 minutes 208 3,500 v 500 16. 9 0047 161 15 minutes 208 4, 000 571 '27. 4 0009 174 15minutes 207 4, 500 1 643 42. 5 0094 180 Desirable efiects are producedwith almost any practical proportions of copper and lead; and, ifdesired, proportions of other metals may be added to impart specificproperties, such as hardness in the case of antimony. i v

Copper alloys prepared as describedare not readily attacked by ammoniaand are therefore suitable for bearings and other parts in ammonia andrefrigerating plants. They also resist attack by weak acid solumeltingscrap brass with proportions of the shale within the ranges mentioned,

products cast therefrom are not only materially strengthened but arecapable of withstanding high water-pressure.

The use of the substance referred to as an addition agent in thepreparation of leadcopper alloys not only enables these metals easily tobe alloyed, but the alloys are permanent, that is, the metals will notsegregate on re-melting.

Successive re-melt ngs have no separatlng effect on the alloyedcondition of the component metals; in fact such re-meltings have provedbeneficial.

Another useful application of my invention is in cupola practice. I havefound that the addition of from 1 to 15 percent by weight tothe chargeof iron, for example, and coke or other fuel in the cupola furnace notonly produces the improvements and characteristics referred to abovewith regard to plain melting of scrap iron or the like in the batch towhich the shale has been directly added, but that the effect of the fluxor agent permeates the superincumbent charges toan appreciable extent;so much so that the foundrymen will recognize the product at once oncasting and machining. The vapors evolved in the heating processtherefore carry to some extent the active substance of the shale,although of course the effect is most noticeable in the portion of thecharge to which the flux has been directly added. The cupola treatmentsoftens the texture, fiber or grain of the metal, toughens the same andstrengthens the casting, producing in effect a casting similar to awrought or malleable iron; at the same time practically eliminating andfreeing the 'same from any oxygen, nitrogen or other deleteriouselements, thus producing a solid, sound casting free from blowholes orother imperfections.

Relative to the extent to which the treatment described improves themetal, I may state that the average transverse strength of good castiron is in the neighborhood of from 2500 to 2900 pounds, whereas castiron made in accordance herewith tests from 3600 to 4500 pounds persquare inch transverse strength.

The improvements noted as to treated cast iron are equally obtained inthe treatment of steel.

It has also been found that the use of this particular species of shaleas a flux in tempering and welding operations has decidedly advantageouseffects. For instance, it has been found that the presence of some ofthis material in tempering steel materially toughens the metal.contacted with from one to five percent of the shale as heretoforedescribed for uses in welding metals such as brass to brass and copperto copper produces a joint which is a true weld, without the use of anyother flux, and which is strong and smooth.

Molten cast iron when contacted with from four to six percent vof'theshale as heretofore described for uses in welding cast iron to cast ironproduces, without the use of any other flux, a'joint which isexceptionally strong and easily machined and which. is practicallyfreefrom pittings or gas holes.

It is possible that the shale may be used to produce alloys ofdifiicultly alloying metals other than those mentioned, and it is alsoundoubtedly possible to weld other metals than those mentioned byproceeding in a similar manner. The examples given herein are believedto be sufficiently illustrative.

By employing from 5 to 10 percent of the shale in the preparation oflead alloys the melting point of the latter is materially increased.

I do not know at the present time exactly What tlhxafl'ect is due to,but I believe that it results from a compound reaction between certainof the constituents and possibly the isolation of some unknown materialwhich acts, perhaps catalytically, to ho-mogenize and condense the metalin its presence.

An average analysis of tliis'shale shows its composition to be about asfollows:

Molten copper when It is possible that the shaleof other deposit's whichwill efiect the results mentioned will vary considerably inproportionsin the majority of ingredients mentioned, but the above is an averageanalysis of the particular shale in the region described.

The Various analyses which have been made show losses on ignitionvarying from 15 to 31 percent. It is possible that some of thesubstances thus lost on ignition play an important partin the mechanismof the reaction which occurs. This theory is borne' out in part by thefact that the upperdayers of the charge in a cupola orsimilar-furnaceundergo improvement which is quite noticeable, although the shale itselfis added and confined to the lowermost portion of the charge.

Of course the slag which is formed upon melting is removed before orupon pouring.

Metals, particularly impure scrap iron,

when treated as described, lose weight to some extent, probably due tothe scavenging l. The method of improving metals which comprisescontacting the same in heated state with a composition substantiallyidentical with the carbonaceous shale found in the northern centralportion of Emory County,

Utah, south of Price River and Desert Lake. 2. The method of improvingmetals which comprises contacting the same in molten state ,with acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found inthe northern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price Riverand Desert Lake.

3. The method of improving metals which comprises melting the same andintroducing thereinto a composition substantially identi cal with thecarbonaceous shalefound in the northern central portion of Emery County,Utah, south of Price River and DesertLake. 4. The method of improvingalloys which comprises contacting the same in molten state with acomposition substantially identical with the'carbonaceous shale found inthe northern central portion of Emery County,

v northern central portion of Emery County,

Utah, south of Price River and Desert Lake. 6. The method of improvingcopper alloys which comprises contacting the same in molten state with acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found inthe northern central ortion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price Riverand Desert Lake.

7. The method of improving alloys of copper and lead which comprisescontacting the same in molten state with a composition sub- .stantiallyidentical with the carbonaceous shale found in the northern centralportion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price River and Desert Lake. I

8. The method of improving copper or copper alloys which comprisescontacting the same in molten state with about from 1 to 15% byweight ofa composition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale foundin the northern central portion 0 Emery County, Utah, south of PriceRiver and Desert Lake. I

9. The method of improving copper or copper alloys which comprisesmelting the same and introducing thereinto from about 1 to. 15% byweight of a composition substantially identical with the carbonaceousshale. found in the northern central portion of Emery County, Utah,south of Price River and Desert Lake. 1

10. The method of per-paring permanent alloys in which the componentmetals will not segregate on remelting which "comprises contacting thesame in molten'state with about from-"5 to 15% by weight of acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale. foundin the northern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of PriceRiver and Desert Lake' 11. The method of making bearings or the likewhich comprises contacting the component metals inmolten state with acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found inthe northern.cen-

tral portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price River and DesertLake, and casting the metal into shape in suitable dies.

12. The method of making hearings or the like which comprises preparinga molten bath of copper and lead, introducing thereinto a compositionsubstantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found in thenorthern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price River andDesert Lake and casting the metal into shape in suitable dies.

13. The method of making self-lubricating hearings or the like whichcomprises contacting a body of copper and lead in molten state with acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found inthe northern-central portion of Emery County, Utah, south .of PriceRiver and Desert Lake, introducing thereinto graphite, and

casting the metal into shape in suitable dies.

14:. A dense, strong, hard, tough, tenacious,

bendable, highly electrically conductive and machinable cupriferousproduct prepared by contacting scrap or inferior copper-containing metalin molten state with from about 1 to 15% by weight of a compositionsubstantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found in thenorthern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price River andDesert Lake.

15. As a new product, casting copper exhibiting the physicalcharacteristics of wrought metal, produced by subjecting molten castingcopper to the influence of a heated composition substantially identicalwith the carbonaceous shale found in the northern central portion ofEmery County,-Utah, south of Price River and. Desert Lake.

16. The method of raising the melting point of alloys of copper and leadwhich comprises contacting the metal in molten state with about from 5to 15% by weight of a composition substantially identical with thecarbonaceous shale found in the northern central portion of EmeryCounty, Utah, south of Price River and DesertLake.

17. The method of materially hardening scrap or commercially pure copperwhich comprises contacting the same in molten state with about from 5 to15% by weight of a composition substantially identical with thecarbonaceous shale found in the northern central portion of EmeryCounty, Utah, south of Price River and Desert Lake.

18. An alloy consisting essentially of lead and copper, the copper beingpresent in excess of the lead, and containing a small residue of shalesuch as is found in the northern central portion of Emery County, Utah,south of Price River and Desert Lake, said residue resulting from thecontacting of said shale with molten metal during the formation of thealloy. I

19. A lead-copper alloy containing approximately forty per cent byweight of lead, sixty per cent by weight of copper, and a small residueof shale suc I as is found in the northern central portion of EmeryCounty, Utah, south of Price River and Desert Lake, said residueresulting from the contacting of such shale with molten metal during.the formation of the alloy.

20. The method of improving copper or copper alloys which comprisescontacting the same in molten state with about 2 to 15% by weight of acomposition substantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found inthe northern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price Riverand Desert Lake.

21. As new products, improved metals and alloys produced by subjectingmetals and alloys in heated state to the influence of a compositionsubstantially identical with the carbonaceous shale found in thenorthern central portion of Emery County, Utah, south of Price River andDesert Lake.

22. As new products, improved metals and alloys produced by contactingmetals and alloys in molten state with a composition subf, I affix mysignature.

er s. FISHER.

